


Water Below Us, Stars Above

by kereia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Skinny Dipping, swimming lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-27 07:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16214477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kereia/pseuds/kereia
Summary: Hiding out in the tropics would be a lot more fun if it weren't for the humidity, and there are only so many hours one can spend crawling through narrow maintenance shafts in sweat-soaked clothes. So Rose and Rey decide to cool off in a nearby lake.





	Water Below Us, Stars Above

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ashers_kiss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashers_kiss/gifts).



 

Rose followed the grunts and muffled curses to the end of the hangar. Before she ducked underneath the shuttle's wing, she wiped the sleeve of her coveralls across her sweaty brow and tugged her hair behind her ear.

It was a futile endeavor to make herself _not_ look as if she was about to melt into a puddle.

The Resistance had found shelter on a tropical planet, and though the planet itself was a good choice for a hiding place – due to its remote location and ample vegetation for them to use as cover – the climate that came attached to the only tectonically stable landmass took its toll on all of them.

Another curse ahead of her was followed by a dull thump and a low groan of pain.

Rose fell into a jog and hurried up the shuttle's loading ramp.

"Everything alright in there?" she asked as she crouched down by the maintenance shaft.

Rey's head popped up so fast that their foreheads almost collided. "Oh, sorry. Yes. Everything's alright. I'm fine."

She didn't look fine.

Sweat beading on every inch of one's skin was par for the course on this planet, but Rey also looked flushed, her face beet red as she rubbed the back of her head, and she kept blinking up at Rose as if she couldn't quite focus on her face.

"I think you should take a break," Rose said before she reached over for the flask of water that lay beside the access panel.

Rey took a long swallow and smiled gratefully while she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You'd think I'd be able to handle this better," she said ruefully.

Rose nodded understandingly. "You're used to the heat, but not to the humidity."

Rey took another sip of water before she offered the flask to her. "I know. My clothes are drenched. It's really uncomfortable, especially in cramped spaces like this." She gave a little self-deprecating huff of laughter. "I think I'm going soft. I've worked under worse conditions."

"Nah, I feel the same way." Rose hesitated. "You know, there's a lake not too far from here. We could take a break and cool off for a bit." She bit her lip, suddenly feeling shy. "I mean, if you want to. The work's not going anywhere, and you look a bit overheated."

Rey's wide smile made her heart stutter a little inside her chest.

"I think that's an excellent idea."

 

* * *

 

Rose almost tore a couple of buttons off her coveralls in her haste to get her clothes off before she dove headfirst into the lake. It was a bit of a shock as the cold water closed over her head, but she hadn't even made her way back to the surface before it felt like heaven.

When she turned back to the shore, she found Rey smiling at her obvious eagerness.

"That looks like fun," she called out to Rose.

"It is. It feels amazing. You should try it. What are you waiting for?"

Rey looked a little chagrined and shrugged before she slipped out of her boots. "I can't swim."

"Of course, you grew up in a desert. Sorry, I should have remembered that," she called back, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just stay in the shallows."

Stripping down, Rey folded her clothes carefully, in the manner of someone who didn't have many material possessions and was used to making sure that the little they did own would last as long as possible. It reminded Rose keenly of the way her own parents had mended fabrics, tools, and furniture long past the point where people of more means would have replaced them.

She swam back to shore, her body cutting through the water with long, sure strokes.

"I could teach you," she offered hesitantly when she reached Rey's side. Her gaze dipped briefly along Rey's slight curves and strong muscles, before she resolutely brought her eyes back to her face and ignored the sharp tug low in her body.

They were friends. They were totally just friends. No use wishing for anything else. Rey had never given any indication that she wanted to be more than that.

In spite of this, Rose couldn't quite pretend that her stomach didn't do a happy little flip, when Rey nodded enthusiastically.

"I would like that."

 

* * *

 

"I've got you. Just put your weight on my hands. I'm not going to let you sink, okay?"

Rey looked up at her and leaned farther across Rose's outstretched arms. "So this is basically a trust exercise?" she asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Taking her weight, Rose nodded. "Yeah, but you don't need to worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Rey gave her a look full of warmth and calm acceptance before she turned her head forward and stretched her legs out behind her.

"I know," she said quietly, and Rose was hard-pressed to keep her concentration on the task at hand and not do something silly such as pull Rey into her arms and kiss her senseless.

There was a brief moment in which Rey tensed up, trying to keep her chin above the water, but Rose lifted her gently until she relaxed.

A few minutes later, Rey was floating in the water, Rose's hands gently supporting her mid-section as she took her first, halting breast strokes.

"You're a natural," Rose praised her.

"I don't feel like one," Rey admitted.

"Nonsense. You're a really fast learner. Another few days, and you'll be swimming circles around me."

To her delight, Rey actually blushed at the compliment.

"If that's true than it's only because you're a good teacher."

A grin spread across Rose's face from ear to ear. There was a part of her that wanted to deflect the praise, but Paige had always told her not to be shy and how it was better to accept appreciation rather than brush it off, so she simply said "Thank you. Now, try to relax your neck. You're still a bit tense."

Rey followed her guidance, and another half hour passed before Rose decided that they'd had enough for one day.

"If you think you've got enough of a feel for the water, you can turn on your back, and we can float for a while," she proposed.

Rey gave her a dubious look as she pulled her legs beneath her body and stood so that the water lapped gently at her waist. "You mean without you holding me up?"

"Yes. We'll get closer to the shore, so you can brace yourself with your hands on the ground at first. So you'll feel safe."

Rey bit her bottom lip and gave her a pensive look from beneath long lashes. "I know I'm safe when I feel your hands on me."

Swallowing hard, Rose felt a blush rising into her cheeks. "Oh. Well, I suppose I could... I mean until you're comfortable doing it on your own... swimming on your own, that is." Stumbling over the words, she trailed off when Rey stepped closer to her, a mischievous smile spreading across her freckled face.

"I think that might take some time."

Her mouth suddenly paper-dry, Rose nodded. "Of course. As long as you need. There's no rush."

She startled when Rey rested her hands on her hips.

"In fact, I think it's possible, I might never feel comfortable enough for you to let go of me," Rey said leaning in.

Eyes wide and heart hammering inside her chest, Rose nodded enthusiastically as she raised her face. "Believe me, that's the opposite of a problem," she whispered, and then she decided to throw caution to the wind, reached up and pulled Rey's mouth down to hers.

Their first kiss was slow and tender, a gentle exploration of lips and hands that ended in quiet laughter and promises of more.

Their second kiss was all too brief as they finished dressing themselves and walked back to the hangar side by side.

Their third kiss and all the ones that followed that night were filled with heat and joy and desire, leaving starlight their eyes and languid pleasure in their bones as they fell asleep wrapped around each other, the prospect of a hopeful future held firmly in their grasps.

 

 


End file.
